Love Lost
by earthtorebecca
Summary: A simple telling of a story regarding two contrasting strangers whose worlds collide, leading to the alteration of a particular sensation they both knew not to truly exist in such definition and degree- love.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer**_: I do not own anything affiliated with the show, Naruto, all credit goes to the creator, Masashi Kishimoto. I do, however, own basically anything you do not recognize to be in Naruto.

* * *

"You're absolutely repulsive."

With a final, obnoxiously loud slurp of her miso pork ramen, Yuki Takahashi sets down her almost sparkly clean extra large-sized bowl with a satisfied whistle. Using the back of her hand, she sloppily wipes off the remaining residue from her intense chow-down and folds her arms behind her head to show her contentment. "Now that was some tasty shit," she sighs happily, her naturally loud voice causing nearby locals to eye her warily.

"Took you long enough," muttered one of the three teammates, Haru Iwara, in a tone that could be interpreted as a crossover between boredom and annoyance. Not particularly at Yuki herself but rather at the idea of him currently not doing anything that involved him being at home.

"Well since you've had your 'power breakfast', can we please get to the training field? Must I remind you of what happened last time we were late?" Sachiko Tanaka, the third and final teammate, pipes up in agitation.

Yuki instantly nods in a hasty manner, her long golden brown locks messily bouncing around her face. A simultaneous shudder creeps up the three squad members' spines upon remembrance of the dark memory. Their leader, Masaru Yoshida, is a man not to be taken lightly in the slightest, or else bad things will happen. For instance, if one were to arrive late to training, he would play a favorite game of his called, '_Catch the silly genin and beat some goddamn respect into it_'. Yes, _it._

The three teenagers shake their heads to dispel such thoughts and each pull out their own wallets, throwing down the owed money for their meal as they called a thanks to the ramen shop owner, Teuchi and his daughter, Ayame. Their nonchalant walking through the town and to the practice field gradually quickens to a walk with a purpose, then a slight jog until they suddenly break out into a sprint. Yells of irritation and surprise fall to deaf ears as they swiftly dodge other fellow pedestrians, almost causing life-endangering situations more than once.

"Just... a little... further!" Yuki gasps between short breaths, proving to be the least quickest of the group as she gazes through the small opening between Haru and Sachiko's shoulders a few feet away from her, the field in view.

"Twenty seconds!" Masaru-sensei's voice calls out, a knowing smirk evident in his voice.

* * *

"So, Kakashi-sensei, Kakashi-sensei! What're we learning today? Oh, oh, are we gonna learn some awesome A-rank ninjutsu or... or maybe-"

"No."

Naruto Uzumaki, a student under Kakashi Hatake, lets out a groan of exasperation and childishly shoves his hands in the pockets of his bright orange pants. A sour expression prunes his face as Kakashi chuckles and pats his head with one hand, the other occupying a rather dirty novel. Sakura Haruno, a teammate of Naruto, shoots the whiskered boy a glare before turning toward the reclusive male striding along a few feet away from the group. A faint blush in the color of her hair blossoms across her cheeks as she examines his turned head, mouth opening to say something clever before closing and re-opening again. This pattern repeats a few times until the lone boy, otherwise known as Sasuke Uchiha, feels her burning stare and shifts his attention to her, his face completely void of any emotion in relation to her own.

"U-um, are you excited about training?" she asks with a giggle before joining his side, her eyes shining with hope of something that had nothing to do with training.

He is quiet for a while, to Sakura's dismay, before he abruptly mutters, "As long as it's something to shut that loser up."

Sakura immediately laughs in response, genuinely in agreement with his statement. _Naruto is so annoying. I really hope Kakashi-sensei makes him look like the idiot he is again, _thinks the pink-haired kunoichi with a satisfied grin.

"You've got to be kidding me."

The trio of young ninjas snap from their own thoughts at the sound of Kakashi's distressed voice, their footwork ceasing completely.

"What is it?" Sakura asks with a hint of fear, unsure of why he said what he said. Naruto and Sasuke do not say anything but gather around the older men with apprehensive eyes. "Did you forget something?"

Kakashi sighs and runs a hand over his face before replying, "No, nothing like that, but it looks we're not going to be alone for training today."

* * *

"So... close..." Yuki pants heavily as she collapses onto her back, clouds of dirt surfacing around her from the strong impact of her fall.

Haru looks at her strangely. "It really wasn't that far of a run, Yuki-san."

"Exactly. So it looks like today is the day to rectify this problem!"

"_What!?_"

"I really don't see the pr- **ow!**" Sachiko gingerly rubs the spot Yuki kicked on her shin, shooting the taller girl a look that plainly read '_I fucking hate you_'.

"Well you don't have a problem with it because you're actually good at running, therefore you enjoy it, also therefore your opinion in the matter is completely and entirely irrelevant," snaps Yuki, sitting up with her legs and arms crossed.

"And you, Haru? What are your feelings on this?"

The tall, auburn-haired boy gives them his usual indifferent expression.

"Running it is! Alright, get to stretc- oh, come _on_."

Sachiko, Yuki, and Haru follow their sensei's frown and see an unfamiliar team headed in their direction. They were guided by a tall man, perhaps in his mid-twenties, with silver hair that stuck up in an odd direction and his face almost completely covered up. Though there isn't much to see, the three can easily tell he is distraught as well. Following close behind are what appeared to be his students.

_A kid with whiskers who looks like he needs to crap himself and a girl with pink hair who obviously is obsessed with the angsty kid looming in the back of the pack. Interesting team, _Sachiko thinks with a slight giggle, earning her strange looks from her own team. She shakes her head to wave it off. _Speaking of constipation, here he comes... Why does he walk like that? _

"Why the hell do you walk like that?" bites Yuki, thinking the same thing as Sachiko. Naruto, with his legs spread rather far apart in a squat-like position and arms crossed behind his head, cautiously approaches Team 12. Yuki's eyes shine with anger at the boy, having a temper as hot as a thousand suns, while Haru stares off inattentively into the field and Sachiko attempts to stifle her laughter behind her hands.

"Walk like what?"

"Like ya gotta shit yourself!"

The blond looks at her with closed eyes and furrowed brows. "What's it to ya?!"

"How 'bout my fist in your m-... _no."_

Sachiko watches under her dark lashes, tears threatening to escape as she tried to stop herself form bursting out laughing. Naruto had made his way, as slow and discreetly as possible in the position he was in, to Haru and brought his face closer and closer to the tall, oblivious ninja. Haru feels his presence and in the same manner, though for a different reason, meets the shorter boy's gaze. "What?"

"You're not only a year older than us," the younger of the two states plainly.

"Yes I am," replies Haru in his usual monotonous tone.

Naruto's mouth falls. "How!? You're a freaking giant! You're as tall as Kakashi-sensei!"

"Naruto, leave him alone!" Sakura barks with her hand on her hip.

"B-but... Sakura-chan."

Haru and Naruto stare at each other for about a minute straight, their expressions in complete contrast to each other. The shorter blond is curious but put off by the other boy, his blue eyes filled with disbelief. The taller one, on the other hand, does not care for him and is currently contemplating getting a drink and taking a nap somewhere. Sachiko notices Yuki slightly pulling up her sleeve above her elbow, indicating she is about to beat Naruto to a pulp, and blows out a sigh. She taps the taller girl who is now in flames, her eyes shining red and teeth dangerously jagged.

"Hold me back, Sachi-chan, hold me back!" she growls, arms stick-straight and fingers clawing the air in which she wishes Naruto were. Haru notices her uproar and brings his attention to her, a single eyebrow raised.

"It seems they've gotten acquainted at least..."

Six pairs of eyes turn to see their respected leaders standing with each other, both of their arms folded across their wide chests. Kakashi gives his team a closed-eye, sheepish grin while Masaru nearly murders his team where they stood with his own scowl.

"We've decided that it would be good practice to do some sparring. It'll be a nice opportunity to test your strengths and see how you would do in battle with someone other than your leader and your teammates. We've already coordinated partners based upon your strengths and weaknesses," explains Kakashi before Masaru jumps in.

"Sachiko Tanaka!"

"Y-yeah?" she answers uneasily, feeling everything but comfortable under her teacher's piercing stare.

"Sasuke Uchiha. Go to an open space and wait as we assign the others."

"Yes, sir."

Sachiko sees the dark-haired boy already walking ahead of her towards a spot, his hands in his pockets and an aura of angst wafting around him. She can tell that he is the most talented of his team with the confidence he holds in his stride, and this makes her feel even more nervous. _Don't get hit. Don't get hit and you'll be fine, _thinks the young girl, however the voice in the back of her head said differently.

"Yuki Takahashi... Naruto Uzumaki, get to the damn field!"

Yuki's eyes widen for a moment before she swivels around, face hidden from view as an evil smirk stretches across her face, eyes dancing with excitement. Naruto's gulp of fear is loud enough for everyone to hear, which adds even more fuel to her drive. The young girl begins shaking and right as the others think she's about to burst into pieces, she jumps around with her index finger pointed exactly where Naruto stood. "I'm gonna fucking **destroy **you!"

"Last but not least, that leaves us with Haru Iwara and Sakura Haruno. Stretch, mentally prepare yourself, do whatever it is you got to do before your sparring match. We're immediately beginning with Sachiko and Sasuke's match," says Masaru before they join the first group.

Sakura does not move, however, and stares at the 5'10 14 year old boy dragging his feet ahead of her. _How... how the hell did I get paired with this guy!? Our strengths and weaknesses cannot be compatible! I'm gonna die. I'm seriously gonna die, _she thinks with despair as she reluctantly joins the others.

"You guys ready?" Kakashi calls from his spot with Masaru approximately 10 feet away from where Sasuke and Sachiko stood.

"Yes," they both respond simultaneously.

"Then begin!"


	2. Chapter 2

"Yeah, kick his butt, Sachiko-chan!"

"_What!? _Naruto, you idiot, you're supposed to be cheering for your own teammates!" shrieks Sakura in a reprimanding tone, hitting him upside the head. A large and very prominent bump immediately forms on his head.

"**Ow**! Okay, okay, sheesh," he whines without saying anything else.

Sachiko smiles at the blond boy's childish behavior before positioning herself in a defensive stance. Her hazel eyes meet her opponent's own dark, intimidating ones, attempting to analyze the Uchiha. Sasuke raises an eyebrow as an overwhelming feeling of anticipation forms in his chest, however, he does not give her the satisfaction of knowing this and keeps a stoic expression. Little does he know, though, is that Sachiko feels just as nervous. Her fingers and knees tremble as she contemplates her plan of action but before she can formulate anything, he has already made his move.

Instinctively, the young girl uses her talent of speed to disappear from her place in front of the charging boy and reappear behind him, wasting no time in delivering a powerful kick to the right side of his ribcage. Sasuke flies a few feet away but easily recovers into his own defensive position. _What the hell was that? Did she use a teleportation technique or something? _He furrows his brows to a scowl at the small girl a few feet away from him. Her face has one of determination, but the anxiety is evident in her eyes.

Sasuke begins to charge at her again. _As long as I keep up with her, I'll be fine. This is just like with that Haku guy... except there are no mirrors. _To his dismay, the results were the same as his previous attempt, except this time Sachiko added a new element.

Under her breath, she whispers, "Wind Release: Blades of Wind."

Suddenly, a gust of wind surrounds the training field, almost knocking everyone off their feet by surprise. The kunoichi raises her arms into the air, allowing the newly created wind to divide and encase her hands. Then, the wind molded and formed into 8 shuriken, each one safely tucked into the spaces between her fingers, ready for attack. Sasuke's eyes widen in shock at the realization of her technique. The weapons she created were made of _wind_, so that meant he couldn't see them. Sharingan activated, he pulls out two kunai.

"So far, she's doing good," Yuki comments lowly so only Haru can hear.

He frowns. "That is unless he finds out her weakness."

"He won't, he's gotta catch her first. C'mon, she's the fastest in the village and you know it."

"That may be the case but Sasuke is also very talented. Not to mention, he's got the Sharingan. There's a big possibility that he'll catch up to her speed," replies Haru in a logical, though typical bored tone.

"We'll let's just hope not or else that'll mean some serious damage on Sachi-chan's part..."

Sachiko raises her arms, preparing to attack, but right as she is about to release the shurikens, she disappears. Mid-air, she flings the weapons at her opponent, every single one hitting a vital point in his body. Kakashi's eyes widen at this discovery and he jerks his head at Masaru, who stands there with his arms folded and a slight smirk resting on his face. _He can't have... Sasuke you're stronger than this. Tell me you had a last minute plan. _

And he was right. Sasuke's body vanishes in a cloud of smoke, his body replaced with a log. _Shit_, Sachiko thinks alarmingly as she lands on the ground. Before she has time to detect his chakra, she feels an unimaginable pain in her leg and realizes that Sasuke is behind her. She pivots on her heel to see him recuperating from his attack, too late to defend his next kick that sends her flying 10 feet away.

"Sachi-chan!" yells Yuki, moving to help her, but Haru holds out his arm.

"Leave her be. She's been training hard for fights like this."

Yuki can feel tears pricking at her eyes as she glares daggers into Haru. However, she knows he is right and regains her ground. "Fine, but if things go bad, I will not hesitate to end the match and there isn't a damn thing you can do to stop that."

Nothing but pain is what Sachiko feels as she struggles to get up. _Dammit... Why couldn't I have held out just a little bit longer? It feels like the fight just began. _Her arms and legs quiver until she is unable to hold herself up, eventually resulting with her collapsed on the ground once more._ I still have a bit more energy, if I can just get up..._ Ragged breathing soon turns into violent coughing and before she knows it, blood comes up. _Not now, any time but now, _she thinks angrily as she manages to get on her elbows. Her bones suddenly feel more brittle and weak than usual but she fights the urge to let go and shakily pulls herself to an upright position.

"Sachiko, don't you fucking dare force yourself more than you need to! It's just a sparring match!" yells Yuki from the sidelines.

"No..." the weakened girl chokes out. "If I give up on a sparring match then what the hell am I gonna do in a real battle?" And with that said, she lifts her body so she's finally on her feet. Slowly, she looks up and meets her opponent's gaze, who holds an apathetic countenance but his eyes say different. They're clouded with respect and surprise.

"If you continue, I won't hold back," he says carefully, still in a fighting stance.

The kunoichi smiles. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Suchiko then lunges to advance Sasuke, however a searing pain cuts through her stomach and stops her dead in her tracks. She falls to her knees, clutching her burning stomach as she feels more blood in her throat.

"Alright, we're done here. You've had enough," comes Masaru's approaching voice as he picks up the writhing girl. He takes her to what would be the sidelines of the sparring section of the field and lays her onto her back. "Let's see the damage."

He cautiously adjusts the forehead protector on Sachiko's waist so he can lift her top, revealing a large dark red and purple bruise that covers most of her stomach. Sasuke joins the three, Sakura, Naruto and Kakashi behind, and stares in shock at her injury. _I did that...? It wasn't even that hard of a kick. She must have a sickness of some kind. _

"Not exactly," says Masaru knowingly, glancing at Sasuke with a small grin. "Sachiko here was a premature baby and depending on the situation, the effects can be severe. Unfortunately for this one, she ended up growing up with a weak system. Her skin isn't paper thin, but... honestly it's up there. On top of that, her bones are quite brittle and she receives cough attacks daily. It wasn't just your attacks that caused it."

"Wow... and she became a ninja? That seems really risky..." Sakura comments with a sad expression, arms crossed. Naruto nods in agreement.

"I did it for personal reasons," Sachiko says weakly, her upper body now resting on Yuki's folded legs. "And I'll see those reasons to the end."

Upon meeting Sasuke's gaze, she offers him a smile. Briefly, he returns a smirk. _She's got ambition, I'll say that. _

"Well that's why we've come up with the perfect team formation that not only accommodates her condition but the other twos' strengths and weaknesses. Haru, as you can see, is quite tall and built for his age, and his skills definitely don't let these physical attributes down. Therefore, he is the tank, or the one who can not only take the most damage but supply it with his brute strength and powerful earth-style ninjutsu. Then we have Yuki, an expert at both ninjutsu and genjutsu, however her true power lies in the latter. We have her to supply these attacks from a ranged distance. Last but not least comes Sachiko, who uses stealth and agility in the team. She's the one who sneaks in the shadows and applies the most critical damage with vital points in the human body. Since she's so weak and cannot take hits or give much body strength, Haru does this for her, acting as her shield while she supplies crippling attacks with her speed."

"That's so awesome! It would be cool to see you guys in battle with another team or something," says Naruto with a wide grin.

"Like you?" Yuki snaps challengingly, boring a glare through his skull.

"Calm down, you just want an excuse to kick his ass. You'll get your chance. In fact, why don't we start your match now?" Masaru suggests as he stands before continuing, "Haru, take care of Sachiko... Yuki, get your ass out there!"

"**Yes**!" Yuki yells evilly, carefully removing Sachiko from her lap before grabbing Naruto and running to the sparring area.

"No-o-o-o!" the defenseless ninja screams. "**_Kakashi-sensei_**!"

The others begin to leave, but before she loses her chance, Sachiko calls out Sasuke's name. The raven-haired boy turns and looks at her with slight curiosity. She waves him over and with a sigh that was audible to her own ears, he shuffles over with his hands in his pockets. She gestures for him to sit, which irritates him even more. Sachiko notices his annoyance and laughs. _He's just composed of teen angst, isn't he? How adorable, _she thinks sarcastically. Sasuke complies and bends his knees so he's almost level with her. "What?"

"You're quite the skilled opponent. Don't think this was our first and final fight, I'll getcha eventually," she says with determination, though her voice lightly cracked from weakness. She smiles brightly and nudges his knee which causes Sasuke to surprisingly smirk back.

"I'll be waiting for that day, Sachiko."

Then, in his usual cold and aloof disposition, he stands up with his hands shoved back in his pockets before heading toward the others to watch the next match. Sachiko feels a strange warmth in her cheeks that spreads to her neck and ears and quickly realizes she's blushing. Haru seems to have noticed this as well since his lips twitch for a second into what would be thought of as a smile.

"Shut up and take me over there. I want to see Yuki at her finest- pissed and bloodthirsty."

Haru does not respond as he carefully picks her up and holds her to his broad chest. His long legs easily carry them to their destination where he sits back down and lays Sachiko's upper body back on his folded legs. Sakura notices their arrival and says uneasily, "Will she be okay? Shouldn't we take her to the hospital or something? Her injuries look like they could burst at any moment..."

"She'll be fine," Haru states shortly and blandly, quickly shutting Sakura up.

_I really don't want to fight this guy. He's so intimidating! _

Haru then proceeds to take out a small package of medication, one that everyone on the team keeps in stock just in case for emergencies such as these. He takes out three pills differing in size and color before extracting a water container attached to a belt on his shorts, taking notice to Sakura's peering eyes. He doesn't say anything, however, and assists Sachiko in taking the medicine.

"Thanks, Haru-kun, the pain is already starting to go away," she says with a grin, the familiar warmth from the effects of the medicine already spreading throughout her body.

Haru nods in response and addresses Sakura, "My mother is a medical-nin and she created this special medication for her condition since the medicine supplied by the hospital was not enough for her."

"O-oh, well does each one serve an individual purpose or are they all the same?" she asks curiously, blushing in embarrassment.

"The blue circular one is for relaxation, it calms her entire body while the green tubular one is for soothing the specific source of the pain and the red bean-shaped one is for strength," he explains in a manner as if he had already said it hundreds of times that very day.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei!" yells Yuki, catching everyone's attention. "You might want to start digging a 5 by 3 hole over there."

Naruto gulps. "Why?"

"Because I'm about to **_obliterate _**you."

* * *

(A/N): I'm really not sure about the ages because everyone is saying differently and the wiki says 12-13 for Team 7 so I'm going to go ahead and say 13 because... well they just don't seem 12 to me. 13 even but I'll roll with it. Team 12 is apart of Team Gai's graduating class so they're a year older.


	3. Chapter 3

"C-can we maybe... postpone this fight? I don't think I- _**wah-h-h**__!_"

Cut off by Yuki's fiery punch to the face, Naruto flies at least 10 feet away, painfully landing on his head. Cursing, he rolls around whilst gingerly holding the quickly bruising cheek. Kakashi opens his mouth to warn the air-headed boy not to let his guard down but decides against it and watches with piqued interest. Yuki slowly stalks over to the blond before stopping a foot away from his constant rolling self. Her figure is a silhouette as dark purple and black fire emits off her being, giving everyone a startling sensation so evil that it seemed the darkness would swallow them whole at any point. Suddenly, she opens her eyes to reveal glowing red orbs set out to kill.

"_Kakashi-sensei!_ Please, help me! I'll do anything! I'll-"

"Kakashi isn't available, try again later," intervenes Yuki in a low, menacing tone. A wide, sharpened smile spreads eerily across her face.

Naruto's eyes widen considerably. "_**Help me**__!_"

* * *

"Did you have to be so rough with him?"

Yuki gives the shorter teammate a look of disbelief. "Of course I did! He was annoying the shit out of me earlier."

Sachiko rolls her eyes as a knowing smile involuntarily brightens up her face. She tilts her head and sees the battered and bruised blond ninja of Team 7 laying in an abnormal position in front of his other teammates, totally unresponsive. Sakura crosses her arms and rolls her eyes in annoyance before muttering, "typical idiot" while Sasuke hums in agreement with his hands in his pockets. Frowning, she pushes herself off of Haru, feeling much better than earlier, and makes her way to the injured boy. Sakura and Sasuke watch her with curiosity as she takes out a package that looks exactly as the one Haru used for herself. However, before she could provide any type of aid, Kakashi stops her.

"Ah, Sachiko-san, that won't be necessary. Thank you, though," the handsome, silver-haired jounin says with a closed-eye smile.

The young girl looks at him oddly. "But he requires assistance... I'd be fine to do it, really."

"Yes, but Naruto is... not quite like most people. He just needs a nights worth of rest and he'll be completely fine, I promise you," he explains before adding, "Save those pills. I'm sure you'll need it more than he does at the moment if a dire situation arises."

Sachiko begins to open her mouth to retort but quickly shuts it when nothing comes to mind. Blowing a soft sigh, she rises from her seat on the ground and heads back to her own team. Right as she returns, Haru and Sakura's name is called for their match, which ignites a flame of excitement in the kunoichi's stomach. _This is gonna be an interesting battle. Little Sakura against... well... Haru the Giant. There's got to be a reason they were paired together. _

* * *

"Why the _hell_ were they paired together?"

Painfully, everyone watches as Haru calmly strides behind a limping, sweat-drenched Sakura, his countenance reading one of boredom and hunger. Her weak yells can barely be heard over her excessive panting from their location approximately 30 feet away, but no one is sure of what she is actually saying. Haru manages to easily catch up to her for the tenth time once she stops to grip the cramp in her side and swiftly grabs her in one arm, slinging her over his shoulder. Her yells now become increasingly more pronounced as she dangerously flails her arms and legs around. Haru sighs, blowing a lock of hair out of his eyes and sets the distressed pink-haired ninja onto the ground before leaving to scout for a comfortable resting area.

"Where is he going!? The fight isn't over!" Naruto shrieks from beside Sakura, waving his arms around in annoyance.

Masaru shakes his head. "Sakura, can you continue this fight?"

As if in response, her legs give out from underneath her and causes her to fall into a weak heap of sweat, heavy breathing, and irritation.

"There's your answer. The winner is Haru."

Naruto lets out a battle cry as he pulls up his sleeve to throw a punch at Masaru, but Kakashi grabs him by his collar and holds him back. Sasuke mutters an insult at the raged blond before turning toward his sensei and asking, "What now?"

"Naruto and Sakura aren't in condition to train even further, so we'll end our session for today. It wasn't too bad seeing as though it lasted... 3 hours," he pauses, "Get on home, everyone. We'll meet here tomorrow. Be sure you're rested and ready to go."

"But-"

Kakashi holds up a hand to silence the dark-haired ninja. "You may train further on your own but do not wear yourself out. Tomorrow will be quite rigorous."

"Fine," Sasuke scowls as he, once again, shoves his hands into his pockets and makes his way to a different part of the training grounds to further his training.

Kakashi sighs, watching after the mysterious boy. Masaru comes beside him and puts a hand on his shoulder, whistling lowly. "So that's the infamous Uchiha survivor, huh? Never had the pleasure to even see him 'til now. He's definitely as bitter as everyone makes him out to be, I see."

"He's got his moments," Kakashi says, subtly defending the boy. "And quite talented too. If he keeps it up... he might have a large possibility of reaching his goal."

Masaru nods in agreement before firmly patting the fellow jounin on the shoulder and waving goodbye. "See ya, Hatake!" he lowers his voice so their conversation is for their ears alone, "When you finish the book, give me a review of it. I've heard nothing but greatness but I wanna know your opinion before I purchase it."

* * *

Sachiko, Yuki, Haru, and Masaru all enter a familiar spacious room to report from their latest mission and receive the next one. A few feet before them lays a long, clothed table where a handful of people are seated at with calm, pleasant dispositions. However, the most recognized of the bunch for the three teammates is their old teacher, Iruka Umino and the great Third Hokage himself. Masaru glances at his students to make sure they aren't acting like idiots and has to scrounge up enough energy to restrain himself from bursting out in anger at the disrespect they are showing.

Yuki is slouched and crossing her arms with a pompous and smug expression twisting her features while Haru is facing the wall to their right, staring straight at the clock and empty of anything relating to emotion. Sachiko, on the other hand, has her hands laced behind her as she attentively and politely awaits the Third's instruction. _Though she is lacking complete confidence right now and keeps shifting her eyes and moving from one foot to the other, at least she shows some damn respect in this team. I'm gonna kill those two, _thinks Masaru as he brings his attention to the Hokage, who clears his throat to indicate he's about to speak.

"It looks like your last mission was a success, hm?" he begins with a kind smile, folding his hands atop the table in front of him.

"Yes, sir. We made sure to carry it out from start with great determination and dedication," says Masaru with a nod of his head.

"We raked fucking leaves. _Leaves!_"

"Yuki!"

The golden brown-haired girl rolls her eyes and tightens her arms. "Sorry, sorry. Just sayin', it wasn't that hard of a mission. I'd rather be raking guts from the enemy's stomach than the lousy crap we've been doing lately."

Masaru starts to reprimand the 14 year-old but is suddenly interrupted by the Hokage. "It is quite alright and perfectly understandable for you to feel this way, however _you _as a young ninja must realize that these missions, as small as they may seem, are helping build a sturdy foundation for your future in the field."

Yuki doesn't say anything in response, mainly to not bruise her pride, but also because she cannot think of a retaliation for the old man. Hiruzen chuckles and pulls out a small packet of papers from the C-rank mission folder and hands it to Masaru. The black-haired jounin bites his lip as he scans through the papers, already formulating a plan in his head as he takes in the information on the case.

"You can see there that it is a simple escort mission. The Lady of the Honey Country needs assistance with security as she travels to the Land of Tea for a festival. Though there should not be any serious issues along the way, you all must take this mission seriously and complete it with your best. If you have any questions, refer to the packet, it should have all the answers you need. Good luck."

And with that said, the team collects their earnings from their previous mission and set out for the next.


End file.
